Court training

Court training refers to a training system that provides induction into judicial tasks in district courts, courts of appeal and administrative courts. The official title of a court trainee is Trainee District Judge.

The training period is one year. The training may be carried out completely in a district court or, alternatively, by first working six months in a district court and thereafter another six months in a court of appeal or administrative court. In a court of appeal or administrative court, the Trainee District Judge works as a referendary.

The district courts announce the open traineeship positions twice a year, in every March and September. It is mentioned in the announcement if some of the traineeships may be partially carried out in a court of appeal or an administrative court. A person who wishes to work as a Trainee District Judge either in a court of appeal or an administrative court shall notify the district court about this when applying for the traineeship position. In such a case, the Trainee District Judge is appointed by the Chief Judge of the District Court together with the President of the Court of Appeal or the Chief Judge of the Administrative Court.

As a Trainee District Judge may be appointed a person who has earned a Master's degree in law, who has the personal characteristics necessary for the performance of the judicial tasks and who is suitable for the judicial decision-making. Before a person may be appointed as a Trainee District Judge, he or she must take a judge's oath or give a judge’s affirmation.

Judge’s oath and affirmation

A judge's oath may be taken or a judge’s affirmation given before a district court or a court of appeal. It is not necessary to take the oath or give the affirmation before that district court or court of appeal where the training will be carried out. The court in question shall issue a written certificate of the taken oath or the given affirmation.

Honorary title of Master of Laws with court training

After having completed the one-year court training and all the tasks assigned to him or her, the Trainee District Judge may apply for the honorary title of Master of Laws with court training (varatuomari in Finnish).

The honorary title is conferred by the court of appeal in the judicial district of the district court in which the person has worked as a Trainee District Judge. The honorary title of Master of Laws with court training shall be applied for in writing at the court of appeal, and an original certificate of the completed court training, issued by the Chief Judge of the District Court, shall be appended to the application. A corresponding certificate issued by the Chief Judge of the Administrative Court shall also be appended to the application if a part of the training has been completed in an administrative court.

Updated on 14 March 2013